Oakland city officials Monday that they will not declare a state of emergency despite the vice mayor's public plea for more assistance after a violent weekend that left four people dead and 11 more wounded.

Police Chief Howard Jordan told reporters during an afternoon news conference with Mayor Jean Quan and other city leaders that the beleaguered department is already getting help from the California Highway Patrol as well as the Alameda County Sheriff's Department.

A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that sometimes frees up funds, orders agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans and sometimes give rise to a rationale for suspending rights and freedoms, depending on the situation.

In this case, however, Jordan said that putting Oakland into a formal state of emergency would be a short-term fix, at best, he said.

Fifteen people were shot in several incidents over the weekend, including five at a birthday party Sunday night. All five victims of that shooting are expected to survive.

Sunday's shootings came two days after four people were shot and killed Friday. Police say those shootings are a result of ongoing feuds between groups.

"We know there's probably one to two percent of the population causing this violence and we're focused on them," Jordan said. "We have to continue to gather intelligence and focus on the right people."

Friday's killings prompted Vice Mayor Larry Reid to say on Saturday that the city should formally declare a state of emergency. He said he called for Quan to convene a special meeting of the City Council to consider taking such action.

"We've lost control. It's time for us to declare a state of emergency," Reid told KNTV-TV.

Oakland already has six homicides so far this year compared to only two at this time a year ago. Violent crime in Oakland rose 23 percent as the city had 131 homicides in 2012, the most since 148 in 2006.

The spike prompted city officials to announce last month the hiring of former New York City police commissioner and Los Angeles police chief Bill Bratton as a consultant on how to reduce crime and combat gang violence.

Blazes raging in forests and woodlands across California have taken the life of a firefighter and forced hundreds of people to flee their homes as crews continue to battle the flames from the air and the ground.